Every Second Counts
by ToxThexMoonxAndxBack
Summary: Annoyed, tired and frustrated Kate and Jake must find some way of working without wanting to kill each other. Only...someone might be beating them to it. As the trial of Emerson Crowley continues, danger becomes apparent to the two lawyers. And when Jake and Ronnie are taken hostage it's decision time for the whole team. (Kate/Jake knowing me season 8 team so Joe not Sam)
1. Chapter 1

AN:So my creative writing teacher told us to write a song inspired fanfiction...this is more fo a playlist inspire fanficiton lol. And for those of you who have read my stuff before know i love writing dramatic stuff so yeah expect that. (these poor characters...). Oh and I thought I should mention my friend UntoldStoriesX (who wrote Exit wounds with me) has posted another of her 'what should've happened but didn't/What I wanted to happen in each episode' story things like she did last series with 'If you could see me now.' I think it's good and she would appreciate feedback and stuff :) thanks xxx this should hopefully get better as I write more

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A lot of things had been on Kate's mind lately. So much was going off in her life, all of it to do with work of cause. It wasn't easy being a defense lawyer and a prosecutor was just as bad – if not harder. Her and Jake had been working on a very difficult case just lately, one they'd argued over many, _many_ times and only just managed to come to an agreement on how they were going to play it in court. With all this weighed on her mind when she got home she felt like she could pretty much hibernate for winter…if not longer.

Not even bothering to climb the stairs to go the bed she fell back on the sofa and pulled a blanket around her, but even with her eyes feeling so heavy she still couldn't fall asleep.

Annoyed at her usual pre-trial self she was alone with her thoughts in the dark. As she went through everything she would need to say in court and who she would need to speak to and email and so on there was one person who kept creeping his way into her mind – Jake. She didn't know why but he was. Every time she tried to think about something else her brain would just link it back to him. She found herself getting annoyed. How could he be frustrating her when he wasn't even there? She decided that it was just the fatigue messing with her head and hoped that she wouldn't turn up to work the next day and tell him she was angry at him for keeping her awake…that would not only confuse him but would also creep him out.

Eventually she was able to slowly drift off into a dreamless sleep, one which she stayed in till her phone rang at half past six. Jake. She had a good mind to either decline the call or answer it but tell him to shove off so she could go back to sleep. Realizing she probably wasn't going to stay awake long enough to hold a proper argument she answered as politely as she could.

"Jake…" She mumbled half asleep.

"We've got a problem…" He said hesitantly on the other end.

"What problem?" She yawned rubbing her eyes with one hand.

"Crowley has just been rushed to hospital, possible stroke." He replied.

"Great." She groaned. "So what is gonna happen in court? – he's the accused."

"I'm not sure, Henry's on a rampage trying to make sense of everything; he called me at four to tell me this. He says we are to go to the office at ten and we'll work it out from there."

"Ok…" She sighed, the spoke for another minute or two before hanging up. She rubbed her eyes again before laying back down. It was going to be one of those days…

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To be continued? x


	2. Chapter 2

AN: Reviews loved, thanks - hope everyone is enjoying the new series. To the reviewer who asked, ye this probably will be Kate/Jake lol xx

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Kate was just walking through the door into her and Jake's office when she walked straight into his chest. She stumbled back confused and before she could say something he put his hands on her shoulders turning her to face the way she'd just came.

"Erm where are we going?" She asked as he guided her back out of the building with his hands on her shoulders still.

"Crowley escaped from hospital and is now holding a man and his wife hostage in a newsagents. Says he'll let them go if he gets to speak to the arresting detectives and the prosecution." He explained.

"This day just keeps getting better and better."

XxX

Ronnie and Joe arrived on scene at the same time as Jake and Kate.

"So where is he then?" Ronnie asked one of the police officers who held up the police tape for the four of them to walk under.

"In the newsagents. He says he'll let the man and his wife go in exchange for one of arresting detectives and one of the two prosecutors." He explained.

"Jake, you ready?" Ronnie turned to him knowing which two of them it would have to be. Ronnie wouldn't let Joe go in and Jake would never let Kate out herself in danger.

"No." Kate spoke up knowing full well the risks of the situation. "No one can go in there, not yet. We need to know what he's planning."

"Kate, he's already shot a civilian." Joe argued. "He's serious and we need to get that man out to get him medical attention."

"We can't walk away from this." Ronnie added.

"Then I'll go in." She argued.

"No way, Kate." Jake shook his head.

Joe and Ronnie could see a famous Kate/Jake argument coming on so decided to try and call the newsagents to speak to Crowley and tell him the detective and prosecutor was there.

"Kate..." Jake started but she cut him off.

"No. It's too risky. We should just let a negotiator go in there or..."

"It will take too long Kate. Besides anything could happen in there."

"We both know exactly what could happen in there."

He put his hands on her shoulders making her look at him properly. "No one else should die because of him Kate..."

"He could kill you...and Ron."

"You think I don't know that? Crowley's a monster and you were right he might do anything...we need to stop him..."

She sighed closing her eyes breathing in - he was right. She may sound selfish or something not wanting either him or Ron to go into the newsagents but shed seen just what Crowley was capable of. She couldn't bare to think if that happening to her friends. "Just don't get shot..." He gave a small laugh before he was taken by surprise as she kissed his cheek taking his hand. "Promise me?"

"I promise. I'm sure Ronnie promises too. You don't get rid of me that easily." He smirked slightly before squeezing her hand and carried on holding it as they walked back over to the others. The looks between them all said that Jake and Ron were ready. "I'll see you later." He said quietly.

"Not if I see you first." She managed to smile before him and Ronnie walked towards the shop - Jake slowly let go of Kate's hand. She closed her eyes as she saw him look back over his shoulder at her as they walked in.


	3. Chapter 3

An: Thanks for reading

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The moment they entered the shop they were met by Crowley holding a gun. "Let the couple go Crowley." Ronnie spoke calmly. "You've got me an you've got Jake."

"Ok." He pointed the gun at the couple "clear off."

The couple looked terrified at Ron and Jake before scurrying out of the shop.

"What's all this about then?" He asked.

"I'm not going prison. I'm an old man, I won't last the 3 life sentences...I can either die in a cell or I can die a free man." A smug smiled appeared on his lips. "They're not going to kill me when you two are in here."

"And you think they'll let you walk free?" Jake said. "There's a dozen or more armed response officers out there...they're not going to let a triple killer just walk away from this."

"Neither can you two." He simply replied.

"So what's your brilliant plan?" Ronnie questioned.

"All in good time, now..." He started before throwing them handcuffs. "Handcuff yourselves to the radiator, or a stray bullet might just fly through the window and and take out the pretty blonde girl...the one you seem to be very attached to, Mr Thorne."

"Don't you dare." Jake's eyes snapped up to meet Crowley's.

"Then cuff yourselves."

Ronnie looked at Jake, this had always been a step into the unknown. They had no idea how Crowley was planning to get out of this one. Or whether the plan was for those two still to be alive by the end of it.

XxX

Kate was pacing nervously. She didn't really know what to do with herself. No one knew how long they would be in there. No one knew if they were coming back. Joe was talking to the couple who had been let out. He was trying to get as much information if any off them. She couldn't tell if he was having any luck. She wasn't bothered. She just wanted Jake and Ronnie to be out of that shop, safe. She wanted Crowley back behind bars, wanted justice for the families of the people he killed.

She shuddered - she'd only just realised how cold it was. The cold air made her eyes sting, eye quickly shut them before rubbing them to stop them watering anymore.

"Kate." She heard Joe's voice making her open her eyes. "Are you ok?"

She glared at him for a moment. Was he kidding or what? Maybe he was just concerned? Not sure whether it was him being either thick or nice she dismissed it. "Fine."

"You're worried aren't you?"

"Of cause I'm frigging worried." She snapped. "You were at those crime scenes, you know what Crowley is capable of...and I'm just meant to stand here knowing that they're in there and there is nothing I can do."

"They went in there..." He knew he had to tread carefully with what he was saying...being comforting to kids was natural to him...adults, not so much. He really didn't know what to say without sounding like a twat.

"Because they don't let innocent people get killed. It's just not right. I..." She shook her head. "I just don't know anymore."

"You care about them..."

Was it his job to point out the obvious or what? "Of cause I do. I...they're my friends." She stopped herself from saying anymore. She remembered the look in Jake's eye when he looked back her. This day had turned into a bigger nightmare in under an hour.


	4. Chapter 4

An: Thanks for reading - please review xxx

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Crowley went through to the back room 'to think' apparently, leaving Jake and Ronnie alone.

"What do you think he's planning?" Jake asked Ronnie. "You interviewed him."

"You questioned him in court..." Ronnie replied. "No. I have no idea." He thought a moment. "You were very protective of Kate just then."

"He'd threatened to shoot her and she's my friend, of cause I was protective of her."

"Mm. Just a friend?"

"Of cause." He replied sounding defensive. "Why?"

"No reason." He lied. "It's just, when the two of you were talking out there...seemed more than just a worried friend."

"She's just scared for us, Ron. She grew up in a world like Crowley's, that underworld kind of thing. She knew exactly what we were walking into and didn't want anything to happen to us. The people she cares about." He explained.

"You. She cares about you." Jake tilted his head slightly, confused. "Don't give me that, Jacob. I've seen the way she looks at you, the way you look at her..."

"It's nothing..." Jake dismissed it making Ronnie laugh slightly.

"Is that so."

"Are we really talking about this now?" Jake questioned and Ronnie gave him a small smile before saying nothing as Crowley walked back into the room.

"Right. This is what's going to happen..."

XxX

Kate was stood with Joe. He was trying to say something to calm her down but she wasn't listening. Her hands were trembling like mad. She'd seen work like Crowley's before. He wasn't going to just let them walk out of there, what was he planning?

The door to the newsagents opened and Kate could've sworn her heart stopped beating for a few seconds. She saw Jake slowly walk through the door...with Crowley behind him with a gun pointed at his head. "Pretty girl..." Crowley spoke. "What's her name?" He asked Jake. "The prosecutor..."

"Kate..." She heard Jake mumble.

"Yes. Kate. I want to speak to her."

Kate left Joe stood beside the police car and walked over to where Crowley was stood. She stood about three or four metres away from him. "I'm listening."

"I thought you would, if you didn't, I'll blow lover boys brains out." He glared pressing the barrel of the gun hard against Jake's temple.

"What do you want?" She asked.

"I want to walk away from this. No one following me. No one looking for me. Just let me go and you can have this one and the detective back safe and sound."

"You want me to tell these armed offices to not fire as a triple killer just walks away...?"

"If they shoot I shoot, you know I'm not lying."

"What makes you think I can stop them?"

The gun was suddenly turned on her and trigger pulled. The bullet just missed her shattering one of the police car windshields.

"Leave her alone." Jake warned and Crowley laughed before hitting Jake on the side of the head with the gun. Everyone knew Jake could easily over power him, but everyone knew he wouldn't. Not if it put others in danger.

"Oh he's full of fire isn't he? I love that, leave her alone." Crowley laughed as blood ran down the side of Jake's face. "I heard him talking in there, the way he spoke about you..."

"Just stop it!" Kate snapped.

Crowley pulled Jake backwards. "I'll leave you to think."


	5. Chapter 5

"What the hell happened?" Ronnie asked as Jake was once again cuffed to the radiator before Crowley disappeared into the back room.

"He shot at Kate." Jake replied.

"Is she ok?"

"Fine, I think. She's shaken up though..." He was trying to say as little as he could about her because he had to remain as calm as possible. He'd seen the look in her eye when she'd seen the gun pointed against his head - fear. She had been trying to hide it but had failed. He wanted to tell her he was ok, wanted to hold her and tell her both he and Ronnie was fine. But he couldn't. They weren't..

That's when Ronnie noticed the blood running down the younger man's face. "What happened to you?!"

"He smashed the gun into my head..." He put his free hand to the top of his head before looking at his hand at the blood... "Could've been worse."

"What did he say?" Ronnie questioned - he could see there was a lot he wasn't telling him, that he was getting more and more tense. "Jake, tell me."

"He wants to walk out of this. No one following him. No one looking for him. He just wants to walk free. If that doesn't happen he kills both of us."

"And them lot out there are gonna let him are they?"

"He said this to Kate, Ron. He can hear what we're saying in here, he's only in the next bloody room. He heard us when you asked me about her...knew she'd be scared enough to listen." Jake explained. "They've got ten minuets to decide...they won't do it will they?"

"They don't want to let a triple killer go but I doubt they'd risk us being killed in the process." He suddenly lowered his voice "He's agitated. He didn't expect the number of coppers to be this big, I knew when I interviewed him he wasn't the full shilling..."

"What do you mean?" Jake asked his voice also quieter.

"His conscience is catching up with him..." He paused. "I have a horrible feeling someone is going to die today's and its not either of us..."

XxX

"You ok?" Joe asked Kate.

She was shaking, the shock of the gun going off still running through her.

"Kate..."

"What do we do?" She said. "What...what now?"

"We let him walk...we have plain clothed officers follow him discretely..."

"Then what? You take him out? You heard him, we shoot he shoots." She snapped. "What if he uses Jake and Ronnie as insurance?"

Joe sighed. "You really love him don't you?"

"Will you stop pointing out the frigging obvious!" She exclaimed. "Jake's my partner. Ronnie'syours, aren't you the slightest bit worried about him?"

"Of cause but..." He stopped himself. When he'd first met Kate he thought he'd try his luck at asking her out but of cause...after seeing the way her and Jake were together he knew he had no chance.


	6. Chapter 6

_AN; Sorry for not updating for a few days but it's been a slow week and well not a very good one either. Won't go into details. Thanks for reading. xx review loved._

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Believing their situation could get no worse than it already was Jake and Ronnie were unhand-cuffed and told to stand, which of cause they did. There was no point in arguing. Ronnie had been right, Crowley was getting more and more agitated, he was also a bit too trigger happy for their liking. They knew that one wrong move would either have one of them or one of their friends outside killed. Crowley had decided the police had had long enough to work out what they were going to let him do. He pointed the gun at the two of them before telling them to open the door and slowly walk out.

XxX

As they saw the door open Kate felt Joe tap her arm "this is it..." he said quietly and she literally felt sick at the thought of letting him go - if the police lost him then three families didn't have justice, but somewhere in her mind, Jake's (and Ronnie's) safety came first. There was no way the armed response were going to be able to get clean shots at Crowley so this seemed the only way of guaranteeing their safety.

Jake stepped out of the shop with Ronnie and Crowley after him, the wound on the side of his head looking bad but he seemed to be ignoring it. Kate dug her nails into the palm of her hand to stop herself for millionth time from shouting out or well doing anything that wouldn't really help but would at least make her feel a bit better.

"Times up." Crowley's cold voice was loud and made Kate's skin crawl. "Doll face, what you decided?"

Kate's eye's snapped from Crowley to Jake and back at him again. Jake knew what her answer was and he couldn't help himself. "Don't." He said but that earned him another smash on the back fo the head from the gun. Jake's head jerked forward and he grimaced in pain but didn't retaliate no matter how much pain was going through his skull.

"Let her speak for herself."

"You walk out of here..." Kate's voice was shaky, she bit her lip a moment. "No one following you."

He smirked. "Right decision. But if you don't mind I will be taking these two with me just to ensure you don't do anything stupid."

He gave both of them a shove forward and slowly the two of them moved. It was a strange sight. Everyone quite. Snipers were laying and waiting. Waiting for a signal. That's when things changed. "You know what?" Crowley said stopping meaning Jake and Ronnie were no longer blocking a clean shot at him. "I'm bored of this one." He shoved Ronnie out of the way. Something tells me they won't follow me if i take you." He grabbed Kate by the arm pulling her in front of him and she screamed just as one of the armed response officers pulled the trigger. Everything went black. No sound. Not from anyone. Not from Crowley, Not from Kate. Not from anyone.

XxX

"KATE!" Jake shouted as he saw her fall to the ground. From the way she had been stood she had landed on her back - he couldn't see where he bullet had hit her. It hadn't. It had hit Crowley's chest first. Other officers including Ronnie and Joe were surrounding them as well as paramedics. Kate flinched and opened her eyes,

"You know what Jacob, next time I say no to something, bloody listen to me." She exclaimed sitting upright.

Jake gave a half laugh. Half relieved half shocked. Not sure on how to react. He helped her to her feet as paramedics rushed around Crowley. Kate sort of hoped he wouldn't die - death would be too good for him, he deserved to rot in prison.

Kate and Jake looked at each other for a second which seemed to last an hour. Suddenly and to everyone's (more to Jake than anyone else) surprise Kate slapped him across the face, luckily the side of his face that wasn't already bleeding from Crowley's actions. As the throbbing sensation from her fingers sank in Kate took hold of Jake's jacket pulling him towards her bringing his lips crashing down on hers. He reacted quickly kissing her back and after a few seconds Kate slowly pulled back. "I mean it. Bloody listen to me."

He laughed again before wrapping his arms around her - hell of a slap on her for someone in a legal profession. Despite being in a lot of pain the feeling of Kate in his arms made him somehow feel better. Even though he was confused about what just happened.

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AN: He's not the only one confused. I'm bloody confused an all. Sorry about mistakes and the fast pace of this chapter - stressy day. xx should be one more chapter


	7. Chapter 7

AN: so this is the final chapter, I know this story ended rubbish but get cant will them all. i'll probably write some one shots before my next full story - if you have any prompts please send them me. x Thanks for reading.

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Waking early morning, Kate thought she was alone. But that's when she noticed Jake sat on the end of the bed. He was quite. It worried her. She practically crawled over to him and knelt behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist resting her chin on his shoulder. "Jake..." She almost whispered. "Jake..." She kissed his shoulder. It was then that he acknowledged she was there.

"Hey..." He spoke quietly.

"You ok?" She asked.

He thought a minuet. What a day. He was taken hostage, Kate had had her life threatened several times, he'd had his head smashed with a gun twice, Kate was nearly shot and then they'd ended up together - he enjoyed the latter though. Was he ok? It had been tough, but yes. He was. Well until a nightmare in which the bullet hit Kate instead of Crowley had woke him. He turned his head to her, a slight pain from his injuries shot through his skull "I'm ok." He paused. "You're here, you're safe, Crowley's gone, everything's ok."

"Mm." She murmured sounding tired before she lightly touched the side of his head where Crowley hit him. "I think we learnt yesterday that every second counts, no matter what happens."

He turned enough to be able to kiss her properly. "Ronnie said that Crowley's conscience caught up with him in the end."

"I think so, he knew what he'd done, that he'd killed three people. He was angry, at the himself and everyone around him." She agreed. "He got his comeuppance. He gave up fighting before they even got him to hospital."

Jake nodded before he laughed slightly. "Why are we even talking about him?"

She smiled. "I don't know." She thought a second not sure how to change the subject. "At some point I'm gonna need to buy Joe a drink to say sorry, I spent most of the day telling him to shut up..."

He smirked tucking her hair behind her ear. "He was definitely thrown in at the deep end with us lot."

She laughed slightly. "Come on, we best get all the sleep we can, His majesty will want a full report on what happened."

Jake scoffed rolling his eyes. "Can't he just watch the news like everyone else?"

"Oh I dread to think what they're saying..." She sighed as they both got back in bed properly.

"Do we care?" He asked as she relaxed her head on his chest.

"Not really." She laughed slightly before yawning. "Night..."

He looked at her for a second seeing as it was four in the morning but decided to go along with it. "Night sweetheart."


End file.
